A 
Review by Harbinger
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With EA being the epitome of all that is wrong in the video-game industry for years, it seems they have turned a corner for their spotted and unimaginative career. Trying to buck the trend of mediocre to god-awful movie based games, yearly rehashes of the same game, and just plain bad projects, they have delivered one of the most interesting and well made Intellectual Properties in a long time. That game is Dead Space.
In space, one person can hear you scream. Yourself.
The story begins explosively, and puts you into the action immediately. You are Isaac Clarke, an engineer sent to investigate a mining ship, the USG Ishimura. All contact with the ship has been lost, and it's your job to figure out why. Or at least it's your job for the first two minutes of the game. Almost as soon as you set foot on the Ishimura, your only job is is to survive the terrible onslaught the ship holds in its depths.
Imerrsion almost to a fault
EA Redwood Shores has done an incredible job of immersing the gamer into the world of Dead Space with smart and practical game-play choices. Their are no HUD's to be seen, with all pertinent information being displayed on Isaacs back, or a screen on the gun he is holding. Inventory screens and video/audio/text communication is projected in-front of you through your suit, and never takes you out of the action. It keeps you firmly planted into the game world, and is extremely innovative.
The only problems I came across is that in the heat of battle, to use a med-pack, you have to project the item screen and choose the pack with the hopes of not getting killed in that time. Since there is no pause, you have to choose your time to use inventory wisely. It's realistic, but sometimes you'll wish it was less. Also, ammo can be obscured by the camera from time to time. It's understandable though, so it's not so much a complaint as an observation.
Dismemberment is the new hotness
Almost the entire crew of the Ishimura has turned into monstrosities who's only goal is to F' you up - big time. They have no health bar, head-shots do little, and body shots are worthless. Instead, you're encouraged to dismember them limb from limb - and you'll learn to do so quickly. Even with missing legs they'll scramble toward you at a blistering speed. They'll even feign death from time to time, which is fucking awesome. With all this in mind, you must choose which weapon serves the situation best. Some cut limbs well, while others are good at blowing the limbs up, or burning them alive. There's a constant strategy to deal with, and it's exciting to say the least. Oh, and just a small hint - Fire needs Oxygen to burn. Keep that in mind.
Also in your arsenal is a stasis module that slows enemies and objects for a limited time. It serves as a very interesting puzzle solving element as well as a way to get you out of tight binds in battle. It also has an HL2 gravity gun-esque device that is necessary in certain points of the game, but rarely useful in battle. It helps from time to time, but feels almost as if it were tacked on.
Atmosphere so thick you can taste it
The game has been compared to Event Horizon, Alien, and other sci-fi horror movies - and those are fair comparisons. Game-wise it's very reminiscent of Doom 3, with dash of Resident Evil 4, and and even a twist of Resident Evil 3: Nemesis (being stalked is the scariest shit in the world. That's a fact.) While the story won't win any awards for originality, the way they present it is top notch. Which leads me to one of the best parts of the game.
Audio production is bat-shit crazy insane. Everything from sound effects to ambient noises, distant screams, enemies, weapons, to even the absence of sound in oxygen-less environments is simply incredible. Seriously. It is that good. If you have the chance to play the game in surround sound in the dark late at night, you'll poop a little bit. Maybe a lotta bit depending on where you are in the game.
Another absolutely incredible part of the game is it's art direction. The Ishimura has some of the best art design I've seen in a game. The varying locales of the ship, mixed with very well implemented lighting and grungy textures are stunning. That mixed with outrageous sound makes Dead Space one of the most haunting games I've played in a long time.
Other things worth mentioning
Dead Space has some light RPG elements to it, which is always a plus. You find power nodes spread throughout the ship that can be assigned to upgrade slots of your power suit and weapons. However, you'll soon learn that there are far more slots than there are power nodes. Luckily, you can replay the game with everything you collected up until the end, New Game+ style. It definitely adds to the re-playability. Also you can buy things at a store by collecting credits from fallen monster crew members. You can find schematics that add to the store, such as suit upgrades and new weapons. It's good stuff.
Though there are relatively few boss battles, when they happen, they are huge and epic. One gripe that leads me to is that there is a relatively small amount of enemy variation in the game. The ones you encounter will keep you occupied for sure, but some of the tougher ones are just older ones with a different texture to them. Not a big deal, but a deal none the less. Also there is a good deal of back-tracking in the game. I don't think that's a big deal since the game makes it as interesting as possible each pass-through, but some might not like it.
Final Thoughts
Dead Space will scare the shit out of you.
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